The Great Ideas Articles

Mortimer Adler, founder of the Great Idea list

and the Inspiration behind St. John College's Great Books Program

 

Below is a list of Mortimer Adler's Great Ideas. My goal is to write a post on each idea and how it applies to writing. The Gread Ideas I have already covered are linked to my post on the subject.

 

  1. ANGEL
  2. ANIMAL
  3. ARISTOCRACY
  4. ART
  5. ASTRONOMY AND COSMOLOGY
  6. BEAUTY
  7. BEING
  8. CAUSE
  9. CHANCE
  10. CITIZEN
  11. CONSTITUTION
  12. COURAGE
  13. CUSTOM AND CONVENTION
  14. DEFINITION
  15. DEMOCRACY
  16. DESIRE
  17. DIALECTIC
  18. DUTY
  19. EDUCATION
  20. ELEMENT
  21. EMOTION
  22. EQUALITY
  23. ETERNITY
  24. EVOLUTION
  25. EXPERIENCE
  26. FAMILY
  27. FATE
  28. FORM
  29. GOD
  30. GOOD AND EVIL
  31. GOVERNMENT
  32. HABIT
  33. HAPPINESS
  34. HISTORY
  35. HONOR
  36. HYPOTHESIS
  37. IDEA
  38. IMMORTALITY
  39. INDUCTION
  40. INFINITY
  41. JUDGMENT
  42. JUSTICE
  43. KNOWLEDGE
  44. LABOR
  45. LANGUAGE
  46. LAW
  47. LIBERTY
  48. LIFE AND DEATH
  49. LOGIC
  50. LOVE
  51. MAN
  52. MATHEMATICS
  53. MATTER
  54. MECHANICS
  55. MEDICINE
  56. MEMORY AND IMAGINATION
  57. METAPHYSICS
  58. MIND
  59. MONARCHY
  60. NATURE
  61. NECESSITY AND CONTINGENCY
  62. OLIGARCHY
  63. ONE AND MANY
  64. OPINION
  65. OPPOSITION
  66. PHILOSOPHY
  67. PHYSICS
  68. PLEASURE AND PAIN
  69. POETRY
  70. PRINCIPLE
  71. PROGRESS
  72. PROPHECY
  73. PRUDENCE
  74. PUNISHMENT
  75. QUALITY
  76. QUANTITY
  77. REASONING
  78. RELATION
  79. RELIGION
  80. REVOLUTION
  81. RHETORIC
  82. SAME AND OTHER
  83. SCIENCE
  84. SENSE
  85. SIGN AND SYMBOL
  86. SIN
  87. SLAVERY
  88. SOUL
  89. SPACE
  90. STATE
  91. TEMPERANCE
  92. THEOLOGY
  93. TIME
  94. TRUTH
  95. TYRANNY AND DESPOTISM
  96. UNIVERSAL AND PARTICULAR
  97. VIRTUE AND VICE
  98. WAR AND PEACE
  99. WEALTH
  100. WILL
  101. WISDOM